Lost and Found
by Droiture LeReve
Summary: When a female Merb is found ill and dying after the Condor lands, Stork takes it upon himself to nurse her back to health. But she's got a secret, and Dark Ace is after them to take them down. Rated M for later chapters. On temporary hiatus.
1. Lost and Found

Note: well, I _did_ have a NiGHTS story going, but I had a sudden urge to get into Storm Hawks. Hmm. -checks expiration date on juice box-

Well. That explains it.

Old strawberry-kiwi.

Anyway! This story (although I SWORE to myself I would never do it again, I am breaking my vow!) does have an OC pairing. Ouch! Ow! Hey! Stop hitting me with pointy things! I have the flu, show some mercy! Ow ow! Ow!

Ow! Okay, who threw the gawdamn chair?!

I don't own Storm Hawks, but I do own Candice, my OC character. I also (hopefully) own the Merb medical techniques. It would be embarrassing to find out that those are the real show things... XD Oh, I wish I owned Storm Hawks, though. Oh, the things I could do...

As you can probably tell reading this fic, I love Stork and I'm not the biggest fan of Aerrow or Junko. (-coughhatredcough-) Piper's okay, but she could be a bit more characteristically developed. She seems like a character backdrop to me. Radarr is cute though. He's all squeaky. Whee! Finn's a goof, and that's funny, but I think he's smarter than he lets on.

Chapter One: Lost and Found

Candice, a young, light-green colored Merb with purplish-blue hair, was stumbling through a wooded forest. She had no idea where she was, which Terra she was on, or even how long she had been out there. Her clothes were torn and ragged, and she was sure she had the flu. Or the Merb equivalent of said flu. She coughed and a glob of blood squirted onto the ground. "I'm doomed..." She mumbled, her voice hoarse and scratchy from her swollen throat. She fainted, having just barely gotten through to a landing-pad sized clearing.

Meanwhile, the crew of the Condor was coming in for a landing. Stork yanked on a lever and landed the ship smoothly.

"I think that was one of your best landings yet, Stork!" Aerrow patted Stork on the back rather hard, causing the green creature to cough and fall over.

"Ow."

"Sorry."

Stork got off the floor and looked out the front window.

"I think I see something." He said, pointing to something light green and shivering out in front of the ship.

"Is that a Merb?" Piper asked.

"I think so. But she looks hurt. Or sick." Stork ran out to help her.

"I've never seen Stork so eager to help anybody. It's way out of character for him." Aerrow said in confusion.

"Well, it is another Merb. I guess he's just excited to see someone else of his own species around." Piper replied. Stork (not being quite strong enough to pick the girl up), had dragged her into the Condor.

"Is she okay?" Aerrow asked, putting a hand on her forehead, only to feel nothing.

"That's not how you do it." Stork snapped. Aerrow jumped back.

"Okay, jeez! You don't have to snap...at...me..." Aerrow's eyes went wide as Stork pressed his muzzle gently to the girl's throat in what looked like a gentle kiss to the rest of the crew.

"Yeah, she has a fever... What? Have you honestly never seen a Merb take another's temperature before?" Stork asked, responding to the stares he was getting. Finn let out a snicker which was replied by a sharp glare from the Merb in question.

"Is that really how Merbs check temperature?" Junko asked, stifling his own laughter.

Stork wasn't amused.

"... Yes." He said bluntly. He pulled her up over his shoulder. "I'm putting her in my room for now. She needs her rest." He said, dragging her towards his room.

"Whoa, wait, won't it scare her when she wakes up and she's in some strange room?" Aerrow asked.

"Are you calling my room strange?"

"No, no! I meant strange, like not what she's ever seen, not strange, like, weird." Aerrow said nervously, waving his hands frantically, as he knew first-hand the agonizing physical and mental pain that came along with calling Stork or any of his possessions 'abnormal' or 'strange' or any synonym of which. Imagine having a paper-cut. Everywhere. Now imagine someone with very dirty fingernails pulling open the wounds slowly, while pouring a liquid mixture of vinegar and salt in said wounds. Now imagine having the wounds cauterized with a hot branding iron. That's only a small fraction of the agony inflicted upon you if you dare call Stork weird.

Stork merely gave Aerrow a look that absolutely withered the poor man and left him on the floor mumbling "Mommy" over and over, his thumb stuck in his mouth.

The last thing Stork noticed before he turned to leave was Piper kneeling down next to Aerrow, trying to calm him down.

Stork laid the girl down in his own bed, turning to leave when he noticed something shiny in her shirt pocket.

Not normally one to snoop but hey, she was unconscious, Stork pulled the object out of her pocket and examined it. It was a dog tag.

"Candice... Hmm. Not really a very Merb name." Stork commented dryly before replacing the object and leaving the room.

Stork re-took the steering wheel from Finn, who was playing around, making "vroom" noises and turning the wheel like he was riding a motorcycle. Even though the Condor wasn't running.

"Finn, get off of there. I need to still be able to steer this thing when we leave."

"Okay, okay... pushy." Finn pouted. Stork started the Condor and hit the gas, making the airship lift and take off.

End of Chapter. Yes. There will be more. STORM HAWKS! Stork WIN.


	2. Sunbeams

Note: Well, here we go, folks, chapter two in underway and poor Stork is about to lose the rest of his already-diminished sanity. Poor little Merb. Well, time to play Torture the Merb!

I don't own Storm Hawks, but I own my character Candice. That's it. Boom chaka laka boom.

Chapter Two: Sunbeams

A piercing shriek rang throughout the Condor, high pitched and _very loud. _Radarr squeaked and held his ears shut. The rest of the crew winced. All except Stork, who just twitched his earring-laden ear a bit at the sound.

"It sounds like Candice is awake." He noted dryly.

"Who?" Finn asked stupidly.

"The girl, you idiot." Stork replied.

_"Where am I?!?!?!?" _A shrieking, feminine voice called out.

"Stork, you'd better go take care of her. She might be a bit less, um..." Aerrow started,

"Violently loud?" Stork offered,

"Yes... Violently loud, if another Merb was there." Aerrow finished with a wince. Stork nodded and handed the wheel over to Piper.

Stork opened the door to see Candice's bright golden eyes frantically flicking back and forth, as she whimpered at her unfamiliar surroundings.

"Um, hello?"

"Where am I?" She immediately demanded fearfully.

"You're aboard the airship Condor. I'm Stork, the carrier pilot."

"What am I doing here?" She asked.

"We found you outside our ship as we landed to refuel. You were passed out in the field. I brought you in here. I wasn't about to just leave you out there to die." Stork explained.

"Oh... Um. Thank you... ?" She said. "I'm Candice--"

"I know, your tag, um... Fell out of your pocket when I pulled you in here. I put it back." Stork lied through his teeth.

"Oh. Ok. Is this your room? It's rather nice." Candice said, looking at the sparse decor of the room.

"Well, yes, as a matter of fact. Piper's room is too small, Junko's room is too... cluttered with useless junk, and there's no way I'm trusting either Aerrow or Finn. They're teenage boys, and you know how that can be." Stork joked, twirling his finger around his ear in the universal sign for insanity.

"I understand. I have two boys of my own. They're young, but they're certainly a handful." Candice got a distant, sad look on her face.

"Oh, really? What are their... are you alright?"

"They were a handful, alright..."

"Candice?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I must have zoned out."

"What did you mean by 'were' a handful?" Stork asked, a bit confused.

"I... It was nothing. Really." She snapped, causing Stork to blink and jerk back as if he'd been slapped.

"Well, if you're feeling up to it, you can come on out and grab a bite to eat. Provided Junko hasn't stuffed it all down his throat already." Stork said, holding out his green hand to her.

Candice looked away, a sad look on her face. She got up by herself and walked past Stork, who then put his hand back down and followed her, noticing that she walked with a heavy limp on her left leg. He attempted to keep her steady, but was met with her tearing her arm out of his grip and giving a noise halfway between a growl and a sob.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just trying to help--" Stork was forced to jump back as she collapsed, sobbing, in his arms. "Oh! Um... there...there?" He said awkwardly, patting her on the back.

End of Chapter. Yes it was short. The next one will be longer. I promise. But I HAD to leave this one with a good cliffhanger and this seemed like the perfect place to drop it off.


	3. Cyclonian Ruin

Note: Number three, and another 30 percent of Stork's sanity down the tube. XD No, I really love Stork. He's a jittery, twitchy, skinny, paranoia-riddled person who's always hunching over machines and prophesizing about terror, doom, and imminent ruin. Kind of like me, only he's male and has pointy ears. And he's green. Personally, I like to think of myself as a pale ivory color. XD

Anyway! I don't own Storm Hawks, just Candice. And her two boys briefly mentioned in the last chapter. Yes, she's actually a couple of years older than Stork is. From Wikipedia I've concluded that Stork is about 24 or so. That would put Candice at about 27 or 28. Ok?

Someone review and tell me if the Merbs have their own language because I've only seen a few episodes of Storm Hawks and I want to know. OK?

Chapter Three: Cyclonian Ruin

Stork had to awkwardly find a way to make his way to the main living area (the equivalent of a living room in most homes) and sit on the sofa while a sobbing Merb woman clung to his chest and cried on him incessantly. Aerrow noticed Stork's plight.

"Stork, what did you do to her, man?"

"I didn't do anything, Aerrow!" Stork snapped back. Candice stopped sobbing momentarily.

"So you're A-Aerrow? I thought the name... I thought it sounded familiar when S-Stork said it... The Sky Knight, Aerrow? Y-You're the one trying to stop the Dark Ace, am I right?" She asked shakily, getting off of Stork enough for the poor man to finally breathe properly.

"Um, yeah, that's who I am!" He said. "oof!" He complained as Candice barreled into him in a tight hug.

"You can help me, can't you? You can stop that horrible man! He took my boys away. Took them and--" She began crying loudly again.

A female Merb crying is not the prettiest sight. In fact it was rather scary. Therefore Stork took it upon himself to try to stop her.

Unfortunately, not having seen another Merb in a few years had left him, shall we say, a bit blunt-edged.

"What did he do with them?" He asked softly. Apparently this was the wrong thing to ask, as Candice let out a piercing shriek and fell to her knees, clutching Aerrow around the knees and crying on his shins.

"Stork, I don't think you're helping." Aerrow scolded.

Piper came running in at the sound, followed by Junko (who was carrying Finn over his shoulder, as the latter had been shocked at the loud sound and cracked his head on a lever, effectively knocking himself out).

"What's goin' on, guys?" Junko asked, dropping Finn on the floor and letting the blonde just lay there on the floor.

"Apparently Dark Ace has something to do with her condition. She's upset and _very _confused right now. As you can see."

At this point, Candice was mumbling insanely to herself as she nuzzled Aerrow's knees with her head. Something along the lines of "Bad man. Mean man. Good man. Good man stop bad man, yes. Yes..." Even Stork was a bit scared at her actions, and took to gently pulling Candice off of Aerrow's legs before her tears completely soaked through the material.

"Well, what's Dark Ace got to do with it?"

"Apparently it was something about her two sons being taken away by the Cyclonians. I didn't catch much after that as she let out that shriek and decided to begin soaking me." Aerrow said, wincing when he heard the telltale whine that meant that something --or someone-- had just landed hard on top of Radarr.

"Well, maybe when she calms down we can ask her." Piper suggested.

"Good idea, Piper. Stork!" Stork flicked his head up from the floor. He was currently in the middle of an unwilling dog-pile (or Merb-pile) made up of Radarr on the bottom, then Stork, then Candice on top, crying into the pilot's shirt.

"When did she start crying?" Aerrow asked.

"A while ago." Stork answered breathlessly. His lungs were being constricted by 95 pounds of weeping Merb on top of him. "Like, We were talking, and the topic of her sons came up, and then she said something about them 'used' to being a handful, or something, and then I offered to let her come down and grab something to eat, and then she got mad at me for some reason, and then she just started crying."

"Women..." Aerrow mumbled, earning a sharp cuff in the back of the head from Piper. "OW! Well, anyway, calm her down the best you can." Stork suddenly realized something.

"Hey, if we're all in here, who's piloting the Condor?" As if on cue, the ship began a violent nosedive through the clouds onto a small expanse of land below them. (Imagine the Spongebob episode where Patrick and Spongebob are huddled over the fire and Patrick says 'Hey if we're underwater how can there be a--' And then the fire goes out XD)

"Whooooaaa!" Junko called out, falling over and landing on top of the whole Merb-pile. Radarr squeaked in pain and managed to squeeze himself through. He quickly ran back on top of Aerrow's shoulder before any more harm could come to him. Piper ran back to the wheel and yanked back hard on it, leveling out the ship. Junko blinked.

"Wow, at least something squishy broke my fall."

"That... would be us, you big oaf." Stork rasped from somewhere in the pile. Junko got up, apologizing profusely and dragging the two Merbs up off the floor.

The shock of having a whole teenage Wallop land on her was enough to make Candice stop crying, at any rate. Well, it was either the shock of Junko landing on her or the fact that the sheer G-force smacked her head down and her lips crashed onto Stork's awkwardly. Yeah, it was probably that.

Her lower lip quivered and Candice made a few more whimpering sounds as if she were about to cry again. She took a deep breath, about to let out another shriek when Stork covered her mouth with his hand and began jabbering away.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Calm down, ok? Don't cry. Crying bad. We uh... We don't need a flood. Let's just get you into the kitchen. We'll make you something to eat and you'll stop crying, right?" Stork asked desperately, _not _looking forward to being soaked again. He took Candice by the shoulders and led her towards the kitchen.

"B-But I..." She began, only to be cut off by Stork's nervous, insincere giggling.

"Eh he he he he he he! Just calm down and you'll be fine. Really." He said, his eyes wide and bloodshot.

Chapter Three is Complete! Chapter Four is On It's Way!!!!!


	4. Set a Course for Terra Merb!

Note: Number four! To commemorate, here's a cute little song, written by me. Well, it's Christmas themed, so it's about 2 months late, but better late than never!

On the Fourth Day of Storm Hawks my true love gave to me:

4 Storm Hawks conscious

3 Cried-On Crew Members

2 Piercing Shrieks

And a Merb's Brain in the Toilet!!!

Yes. As my humorous little song goes on, here's a chapter for you.

I don't own Storm Hawks. Darn.

Chapter Four: Set a Course for Terra Merb!

After they ate (some strange mush that Stork concocted...) Candice stood up. She looked out the window.

"Terra Merb."

"What about it?" Stork asked.

"The Cyclonians."

"Um, I don't think I like where this is going."

"You found me in the state I was in because they infected me with an experimental drug. They infected a lot of people. Those too weak to survive were killed. Like a genocide."

"So it wasn't the flu. It was overdose?" Stork asked in shock.

"Yes. The Cyclonians have taken over Terra Merb."

Stork's eyes went wide. After about ten straight minutes of stuttering and shaking Candice by the shoulders...

"When were you planning on telling me this?!" He nearly shouted, running straight for the helm and booting Piper out of the way.

"Hey! Watch where you're booting!" She called.

"No time! None! Gotta go! Gotta set a course! Setting a course for Terra Merb!" Stork rambled rapidly, pressing buttons.

"I was planning to tell you when I stopped crying. I guess I was just too upset to say anything. Now that I'm thinking more clearly I can tell you anything you like." Candice said, stepping up to the helm and looking at the floor, her electric-green ears drooping downward in shame.

"Well, you can first of all tell me how you escaped. Most Merbs I've seen --no offense Stork--" Stork snorted, "would surrender before they tried a risky escape." Aerrow asked.

"First, I should tell you how I came to try. When the Cyclonians first arrived on Terra Merb, I was twenty years old. That's about seven or eight years ago, now, actually. They came so quickly, and they made us a deal we couldn't refuse. They had crystals with them. They told us that in exchange for stopping all the horrid things that were always happening and restoring us to a less-paranoid existence, they could use Terra Merb as a base while they scouted out nearby Terra for future use. We allowed that to happen, but within a year, the Cyclonians became tyrannical and controlling, and began becoming worse than the natural disasters ever could. They enslaved us and used us as guinea pigs for their hideous experiments. I was one of those guinea pigs, which is how I gained my green color. I was born with red skin, about the color of the Sky Knight's hair here." She pointed at Aerrow.

Aerrow let out a laugh. "So tell us what happened next."

"The Dark Ace himself came to the Terra to oversee production. He found me cowering in a barrel and decided to have his way with me." She said bitterly, looking away from Aerrow.

Stork suddenly hit the brake, causing the whole Condor to stop with a screech.

"Have his way-- You mean he--"

"Yes. He didn't even realize I was pregnant until he left. After my children were born, he came back and took them away. I assume he's either killed them or is raising them to be evil. I almost hope he's killed them, because I would rather them find peace than grow up to be like that maniac. After that I knew I had to be the one to escape and find help. But I was weak from the drug, and couldn't make it far. I managed to sneak a ride on a cargo hold to the Terra you found me at. That's when I was sure I would die in the cold."

"That sick man..." Aerrow snarled, his hand on his weapons. "I'll kill him!"

"No, _I'll _kill him." A surprising voice from a surprising little green man. All eyes turned to stare at the Merb at the helm. Stork's eyes were full of determination that was rarely ever seen in them.

"Stork? _You _want to take him on?"

"He hurt a Merb, which is pissing me off enough," Aerrow blinked, it was rare, if ever, that Stork swore, "but he hurt a girl, and someone who was already weak from being _experimented _on. Then he took the children _he _created and destroyed their lives. _No one _gets away with that sort of thing on Terra Merb, and I'll make damn sure I beat that into him."

A radar beeped; they were close to the Terra.

"Piper!" He said.

"Yes?"

"Take the helm, I'm taking the Stork-mobile down to the Terra."

"No, Stork, you're not going down there alone to get killed. I'm going too." Aerrow offered.

"No, Aerrow, this is my Terra. My people. My fight." Stork said confidently, giving Aerrow a quick salute before jumping into the Stork-mobile and driving down to the Terra. He didn't even notice until he was there...

"Candice! You stowed away on the Stork-mobile?"

"I wasn't letting you go down to our home Terra, where we _know people,_ in a car called the 'Stork-mobile' without backup. You'll humiliate yourself and just get yourself killed quicker."

"What's wrong with that name?"

"You ate a lot of paint as a kid, didn't you?" Candice asked dryly, giving him a bored look with her eyes.

"He'll be eating more than that when we're through with him!" A nasty voice, with a thick snobbish accent raised the hairs on the back of their necks.

"Dark Ace..." Stork snarled uncharacteristically, grabbing a sword he'd stolen--ahem _brought _from the Condor (aka Aerrow's room).

"Is that my sword?" Aerrow asked from behind them.

"Ah, Aerrow." Dark Ace said contemptuously, "How _nice _to see you arrive." He began laughing evilly, a sure sign he was getting cocky.

"Dark Ace! Candice says you've been terrorizing Terra Merb!" Stork interrupted, brandishing the sword. "And just hearing about it makes me sick!"

"Like anyone cares what you think, you paranoia-riddled little green thing!" Dark Ace slapped the sword effortlessly from Stork's hand and shoved him backwards into the dirt. Stork's head connected with a rock, slicing his scalp open. He struggled back to his feet.

"Stork!" Aerrow exclaimed. He advanced on Dark Ace, brandishing his weapons and a frown. Before he could do much, however, Stork snapped his weapon from his hand and lunged at Dark Ace, screeching out a battle cry that could only mean the normally-cowardly Merb had finally found his backbone somewhere within his bitching and complaining.

Dark Ace was surprised at the Merb's determination and the shock caused his reaction time to slow considerably.

Dark Ace coughed out a bubble of blood as the weapon slid deeply into his shoulder-blade, met with little resistance.

"Now get off my Terra." Stork snarled on a final note. He removed the bloody blade and threw it back to Aerrow, who caught it confusedly. Dark Ace fell to the side, holding his arm and trying to stop the bleeding.

"Cyclonians, retreat!" He called, signaling for one of the Skimmers to come pick him up.

Thousands of Merbs flooded from homes and buildings to greet their new hero.

End Chapter

Longest. Chapter. Ever. OO


	5. The Merbian Hero

Note: Whew. Stork's fighting determination in the last chapter left me wiped. But I'll get over it because Stork is awesome and full of WIN.

And now I'm tired, having spent the last few minutes vomiting. I have the flu. Yes I do. That rhymed, and I'm gonna ignore it because if I puke on my keyboard I want enough of this chapter farted out. I thought I was over it, but NO. The virus had one last-resort, crazy attempt on my life. And it failed, obviously, 'cause I'm _still here! Hahahahahaha!!!!! _

I don't own Storm Hawks.

Chapter Five: The Merbian Hero

Stork began to revert to his jittery, stage-fright addled self at the attention of so many people. There were literally thousands of people cheering. Waving banners they'd made in a matter of seconds. Throwing confetti made of bits of torn up paper. Everything they could. Stork began to shake and sweat at the attention, going so far as to need Aerrow's help to stay upright.

Candice attempted to calm the crowd down.

"Now, now, folks. Can't you see you're making him nervous? Please calm down!" She said, waving the people down to a dull roar. "Stork, come on."

"Stork?" A voice sounded in the crowd. An older couple came trembling up to the stage.

"Stork, of the Storm Hawks?" Stork nodded, sweating profusely.

"Th-That's me, yes." The couple immediately tackled poor Stork in a hug.

"We haven't seen you since you were a little tyke." Stork blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Why Stork... Don't you remember us?"

"No." Stork said bluntly. "I haven't been anywhere near Terra Merb in twenty years." Aerrow let out a confused sound.

"Twenty years? But that would make the last time you were here when you were four years old. We found you when you were twenty-three. Where did the extra years go?" He asked.

"To bad places I don't want to go." Stork replied. The couple latched on tighter.

"Oh, Stork, it's okay. It has been twenty whole years. You're all grown up now!"

"You folks never answered my question... excuse me?" Stork asked again, feeling a strange, sudden urge to _breathe _that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Honey, don't you recognize your own parents?" An awkward silence washed over the entire Terra.

Stork immediately fainted in was had turned out to be his own mother's arms.

End Chapter.

Really short one this time, folks! The next one will be longer, I swear. I swear! Really! I promise!


	6. Holy Crap!

Note: Well, I got one review from someone who apparently thought that chapter five was the last one. At least that's how I interpreted their message. I couldn't send a message back because my computer is acting up horribly lately. Or is it just the site? Anyway! Still more to come! We'll delve deep into Stork's past, along with many embarrassing moments that Stork probably wouldn't want me exposing on the Internet. XD Plus a twisted sub-plot involving crime, murder, and mystery! Just like the school cafeteria! Seriously, I warn you now. Stay far, FAR away when the sign says Pickled Egg day. I warn you now. Just back away slowly. Don't make any sudden movements. Don't make eye contact. Anyway!

Stork: Where did you get this picture?! O.o This was a private moment!

Eh hehehe... That's for fanfiction authoresses to know and l'il green Merbs to find out. XD

I don't own Storm Hawks, just my character and this version of Stork's backstory. I think. Someone else might have the same ideas as me. I dunno. I just know that I don't own the franchise of Storm Hawks. Which really sucks, because it's a really awesome cartoon. Imagine the things I could _do _with that kind of money and talent!

Chapter Six: Holy Crap!

After Stork was awakened from his impromptu nap (via a loud, grating female Merb aka Candice screaming in his ear), he began another one of his weird-out episodes. This one began with a quick overview of his surroundings, then a whimper fest, then an involuntary twitching fit, accompanied with whimpering and mumbling. He ended his little fit with a curling up into the fetal position and whimpering, "I want my happy place."

"Stork, calm down. It's alright." Candice said, petting Stork gently on the head, even as he thrashed in fear of her touch.

"It's not alright! Nothing is alright!" He insisted, jerking upwards so fast into a standing position that his quick action knocked Candice's hand off him and she had to jerk back to avoid being knocked down by his momentum. He shivered and shook, his natural suspicion taking over.

"Come on, Stork, calm down. You defeated Dark Ace so he won't be bothering anyone any time soon. You found your family after twenty years. You're finally back on your home terra after that long. Why is nothing alright?" Aerrow asked, placing a hand gently on Stork's shoulder to calm his involuntary shuddering.

"Because this was too easy. Coincidental. _I, _the ever-paranoid Stork, finally find my balls? I'm a Merb. _I _don't even understand how I did that. Beat Dark Ace when _you, _Aerrow, our leader, couldn't? Impossible. You're easily twice my weight and have at least six times the upper body strength I do. Then my parents just happen to pop out of nowhere? My parents, who, at this point, shouldn't even recognize me anymore, after 20 years? Another impossibility. If Cyclonia really took over, they'd have killed damn near everyone long ago. It's too... artificial. Something is wrong here, and I am going to find out what."

During Stork's whole rant, his parents had managed to slink off into the shadows.

Stork left the room, leaving Aerrow and the others behind.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Stork has a point." Piper said, wishing that she could blame all of this on Stork's paranoia. "This all does seem to unreal."

A muffled smash made its way vaguely into Piper's ears. She turned her head, but saw nothing and dismissed it.

"Piper? What's wrong?"

"Hmm. Nothing, Aerrow. I thought I heard something, is all. Guess it was just my imagination."

"Well, let's go find Stork. Maybe we can calm him down." Junko offered, opening the door. Suddenly Junko was thrown backwards, and the door slammed shut again.

"Whoa! What was that?" Finn asked, blinking.

Suddenly an all-too-familiar voice came ringing through the house.

_"You won't leave this time, fools. You're not winning this one. I let you win last time, but this time you won't be so lucky." _

As the Dark Ace's voice echoed through, a second voice joined his, beginning with a terrified scream.

"It's Dark Ace! So Dark Ace wasn't defeated after all!" Aerrow exclaimed, then tried to call Stork. All he got was a crackling sound, and static. The only bit he could make out was Stork screaming in some sort of horrible, agonizing pain. Even that sound only lasted for a split-second, but Aerrow recognized it. Aerrow lurched forward and almost vomited at the sound.

"You sick bastard!" Aerrow swore, which was even rarer an event as Stork swearing. "What are you doing to him?!"

_"Just having a bit of fun with the green man. Don't worry. He will return. Eventually." _Dark Ace called, laughing in his I-Won-You-Lost-Now-I'm-Gloating voice.

"Let him go! Stork never hurt anyone!" Piper shouted at air.

"Let our buddy go!" Junko piped in, punching through something heavy and probably very expensive, almost smirking at the satisfying smashy noise it made when it hit the ground.

_"No, I don't think I will. I think I'll keep him right here. In the meantime, have fun dealing with the natives." _Dark Ace said scornfully, as the doors and walls began to shake.

"For Cyclonia... For Cyclonia..." Five thousand voices, joined together in a hellish chorus, repeated the phrase like a mantra as they battered at the small Merbian home.

"Dark Ace is controlling them somehow!" Piper observed through a window, as a dozen Merbs battered at it, their eyes, normally a deep gold, were milky white as if they were blind.

Or blindly following.

"Damn him!" Aerrow shouted. He tried to get Stork on the communicator again, only to get another bit of Stork whimpering. But, for some reason, the connection lasted longer this time and Aerrow was able to hear,

"No more... please... No more! Stop it! Get away from me! _Noooo!" _Before the connection gave out.

"Guys, we need to find Stork and save him, like, yesterday! Dark Ace is really hurting him!"

"Hey, where did Candice go?" Junko suddenly observed, looking around for the radioactively-colored Merb.

"I don't know, she was here a second ago, wasn't she?" Piper asked. Aerrow looked around and caught a glimpse of her outside. She looked remorseful, and held an energy weapon in her hands. She was right outside the window, seemingly leading the battalion of mind-controlled Merbs.

"Candice, what are you doing! It's dangerous out there!" Aerrow called.

"I'm sorry, Sky Knight. This is what I had to do."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Dark Ace told me if I ever wanted to see my little baby boy again, I'd work for him. He killed my little Jussell but I'm not losing Ruel. I can't..." Candice shut her eyes and pointed the weapon at the building, then shouted, "Attack!"

End Chapter


	7. Ruel and Stork

Note: Chapter Seven will feature Stork. More so than usual. You'll see.

I don't own Storm Hawks. No I don't. Nope. That's Nerd Corps. Yep. They do. I don't work for them. I wish I did. But I don't.

Chapter Seven: Ruel and Stork

Stork gasped for air as Dark Ace left his cell. Stork was chained to the wall in painful shackles, which pierced his skin with a lining of sharp spines. He had blood running through his fur, matting it and staining it a deep maroon.

A child came into the cell, carrying a tray of food. He was just that, a child, no older than seven or eight years old.

"my Master told me to give this to you, and to tell you that you'll never escape." The child was a Merb, but he seemed different. His eyes were shaped and sized differently, and his spine was more straightened than a Merb's. His skull and ears seemed to be shortened to the point where he almost just looked like a human with green skin. Almost. He was still barely recognizable as a Merb.

"Your... Master...?" Stork rasped out.

"The man who just left. The man with the black hair that goes like this," with that the child put his fingers to his head and wiggled them, signing the vague shape of Dark Ace's spiky hair, "And the helmet like this," And he placed his fingers to each other in the shape of Dark Ace's headpiece.

"Dark... Dark Ace?" Stork asked.

"Uh huh. But I gotta go, 'cause I'm not supposed to be talking to you. I could get beat up again."

"Beat... up?"

"Uh huh! If I do something wrong, my Master beats me up and tells me I'm stupid. I don't want to get hit again."

"Do you... get hit often?"

"I used to, all the time. But I stopped doing bad things and it's not really all the time anymore. But now I gotta go. I'm supposed to get back to my Master." The child ran out, most likely running back to Dark Ace to report to him. Stork hung his head in exhaustion. But he knew that falling asleep meant certain death, with all the blood he'd lost. He coughed; trying to regulate his breathing was difficult in his situation. The boy came stumbling back in, along with Dark Ace's voice shouting, "You'll stay until your death in there, you little brat!"

"Ahh!" The boy landed on the ground.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Stork joked weakly, his head still hung down.

"My Master... doesn't like me."

"Dark Ace doesn't like anybody. Why are you here?"

"I accidentally bumped into the bandage on his shoulder... Apparently it still hurts. He got mad and hit me in the head and told me to go stay with the prisoner. You." He said. "I didn't mean it!"

"Dark Ace is a horrible man..."

"When I was really little, my mom would tell me that too. She would say 'That man is the cause of all the bad things here on Terra Merb.' She would then cry when she looked at us sometimes. My brother and I. Dark Ace killed my brother, you know. He was only a few minutes older than me, but he was lots smarter. He could say whole sentences when he was just a baby. Mommy used to play with me more, though. I wonder how mommy is doing."

"I'm sure she's... Alright."

"Are you okay, mister? You sound sick."

"I'm strapped to a wall with spiked metal chains... and I just had Dark Ace taser me in the stomach with his sword. I'm feeling just peachy, though."

"I'm smart enough to understand sarcasm, mister."

"Good." Stork lifted his head to get a good look at the child."You seem odd to me somehow."

"I'm not all Merb. I'm part human too, but maybe I shouldn't have said that. Mommy never liked me saying that. She was ashamed of us, my brother and me. She loved us but she got real sad when she looked at us. My brother looked even more like a human. In fact, he was just like a human except for his ears. Mommy got extra-sad when she looked at him. I didn't ever know why, though. She never told us. Then my brother got killed and left me all alone. Mommy got taken away from me."

Stork remembered Candice's speech about her children from earlier.

"Do you know who your mother is?"

"Uh huh. She's green, but I seen pictures of when she used to be red. She's pretty, and she's nice. She's real sad, though."

"Do you know her name?"

"I forgot. Dark Ace hit me really hard one time and I forgot."

"The Cyclonians ruined my life, as well. When I was no older than four, the Cyclonians dragged me and every other firstborn male Merb to a work camp on Terra Amazonia. We were forced to work to please the superiors. It was like a prison. There were bars on the windows, and barbed wire over electric fences everywhere. It was scheduled so strictly, and people were dropping like flies. I only had myself to look up to." Stork started, giving a sigh.

"Wow. What did you do? Did you escape?"

"No.I spent twelve years there. I was sixteen when the camp was liberated. I wandered the Terra for another two years until I came across a freighter willing to let me work. I was eighteen. I spent another five years aboard that freighter until I met Aerrow and he agreed to take me as their pilot. I've been with the Storm Hawks ever since. I get a roof over my head, a room to myself, good food, and I never have to worry about being killed anymore, because I know by now that Aerrow can get us out of anything. He's a Sky Knight, you know. A damn good one too. Oops, excuse my language." Stork added.

"Don't worry about swearing, mister. Dark Ace swears at everybody and everything, all the time. I'm used to being cursed at."

"Well, you shouldn't be. Not at your age."

"I'm eight now, and this is the way it's been since I was three. It's no big deal."

Stork coughed out a bubble of blood. The excess dripped down his chin freely, as he was unable to wipe it away with his chained up arms and he was just too tired to find another way.

"Kid. You've got to get me out of here..."

"Oh, no, I can't! If I did that Dark Ace would hurt me again!"

"He's already left you in here to rot. Make your last days worthwhile. Please, release me from these chains. I'll contact Aerrow and he'll get us out of this."

"I... I don't know, mister..."

"Please, kid. For both of our sakes. You have to set me free." Stork coughed out blood again, knowing that if this kid didn't let the shackles go soon, he was going to pass out and probably never wake up.

"Okay. But you gotta get your Sky Knight friend to get us outta here! Dark Ace is mean." The child quickly scrambled up to the pressure sensors and set them off, opening the spiked shackles. The blood that was steadily squirting down Stork's hands and arms slowly stopped bleeding.

Stork fell to the floor and sighed deeply, savoring the semi-freedom. He then stumbled to his feet and pulled out his communicator which Dark Ace had conveniently forgotten to remove from him. Dark Ace was intelligent, but he wasn't very clever.

"Stork to Aerrow. Stork to Aerrow. Copy. This is Stork. Stork calling Aerrow. Pick up, Aerrow. Do you copy?" Static from the other end. "Damn! We can't get a signal down here! We're underground!" Stork took a bearing on his surroundings. They were in a small dungeon-like cell at the end of a cave. "Well, kid. Feel like going on an adventure?"

End Chapter Seven


	8. Break Out!

Note: Ah, Chapter Eight. Fantastic. It kind of feels odd, really. Strange, one might even say. Hmm. Anyway, still more to come, and man, you people are clicking on that review button! I need more, though! More! I need more reviews to power my death ray-- I mean... -ahem- Make me into a better person to care for our community. Yes. -cough- X3 By the way, to clear up any confusion, Stork's "parents" were actually Dark Ace and Ravess in disguise, but Ravess herself doesn't make an appearance in this fic.

I don't own Storm Hawks, just this plushie head of Stork. I haven't finished the body yet, but when I do, it'll say "We're doomed!" when you squeeze his tummy. XD

Chapter Eight: Break Out!

After some clever finger work, a pin, and a good kick, the cell door flew open with a loud THUD. Stork winced; that sound would surely bring guards.

"Come on, kid. We _so _have to get back to the surface if we're going to get any veritable connection." He said, waving the kid along to come with him.

"My name is Ruel." The child answered, pouting a bit.

"Whatever! Let's go before we're both dead!" Ruel scrambled up and clung to Stork's hand. Stork picked him up (as Ruel was a bit slow physically and Stork wanted to get out of there ASAP). He began hauling ass down one tunnel, sliding around corners.

Then they slammed straight into a certain stupid, big, bulky, mace-wielding, armor-clad elite known as...

"Snipe!" Stork exclaimed.

"Ha! I got you now, you little toad!" As Snipe grabbed at Stork wildly, Stork managed to quickly do some terrified random moves, one of which knocked Snipe's mace out of his hand and onto the ground. Ruel struggled to pick it up.

"Get away from that, you little half-breed brat!" As Snipe chuckled at his own lousy rhyming, Ruel managed to swing the mace around on the floor, knocking out Snipe's left knee. He collapsed with a yell.

"Good work, Ruel! Come on!" Ruel jumped up and Stork caught him on his hip, and began running once again, Snipe hot on their tail.

"Damn! He's on his ride!" Stork shouted. The rumble of a sky ride in bike mode quickly grew louder behind them.

"I'll get you for that!" Snipe's voice echoed loudly from not that far off.

Stork turned a corner and took off for a lit tunnel.

"Is he still behind us, Ruel?"

"I don't know! You wanna stop and find out?"

"Good point!" Stork kept running as Snipe turned the corner behind them, laughing and swinging his mace. For you see, Snipe was stupid, but he knew that the tunnel they were traveling down...

Was a dead end.

Stork screeched to a stop just before hitting the stone wall. Stork swore loudly, and turned to face his imminent demise. Snipe rode up and cornered them, an evil, victorious grin on his stupid face.

Meanwhile!

Aerrow, in his searching, found a trap-door in the basement leading underground.

"An underground labyrinth? Guys!" Aerrow ran back upstairs and dragged the others down. "I think this might be where Dark Ace took Stork!"

"You could be right Aerrow!" Piper replied.

The team heard a cry from deep in the cave, one of, "Aerrow!! AERROW! HELP!!!!!!"

"Guys, that was Stork! Come on!" Aerrow headed for the direction of the sound.

Stork was still crying for help. Snipe got closer, grabbing Stork by the throat and squeezing the breath out of him. Stork feebly scrabbled at Snipe's hand with his fingers, trying desperately to pry the fingers off of his jugular. Ruel was kicking Snipe in his injured knee, but the young Merb wasn't doing much damage.

"Let him go, you big meanie!" He cried, kicking as hard as he could, in the spot he was injured earlier. Snipe finally felt the damage and dropped Stork, who had already passed out from lack of oxygen.

"You little brat! You'll pay!" Snipe backhanded Ruel, slamming the poor boy into the wall, where he dropped next to Stork.

Aerrow saw Snipe's back, and assumed the idiot was standing over something. He was right, as he saw Ruel drop. "Hey! Snipe! Attacking kids now?" Snipe looked back and Aerrow stood in the tunnel, his weapons drawn. The others stood behind him. Finn fired off an arrow that hit Snipe straight in the left hip, and caused him to go down on his knees holding the wound.

"Tch! I missed!" Finn joked. Junko ran at Snipe, and socked him in the face, knocking him out.

"Guys! It's Stork!" Junko picked up Stork and Ruel and carried them back.

"We found him. Who's the kid?"

Stork began to stir, his eyes fluttering open.

"Ow..."

"Stork! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Is Ruel alright?"

"Yeah, the kid? I... Ruel?"

_"Dark Ace told me if I ever wanted to see my little baby boy again, I'd work for him. He killed my little Jussell but I'm not losing Ruel. I can't..."_

Aerrow blinked as he remembered Candice's words.

"Ruel... That's Candice's son!" Aerrow said, looking at the boy. It was true. Once looked at properly, he looked a lot like Dark Ace, only with green skin and a Merb-styled face.

"She was telling the truth. Back to the surface, everyone! We have to get through to Candice! Seeing her son might be her only chance!"

Aerrow ushered them back up to the surface. The mind-controlled Merbs had broken through and were now surrounding them.

"Candice! Candice!" Aerrow called. Candice stood at the back of the group, weeping silently.

"Candice, look at me!" The neon-green Merb looked up.

"What?"

"Look! We found him!" Junko brought forward Ruel, who was just beginning to stir.

"My baby boy?" Ruel looked up and saw the face of his mother, and his innate sense of family kicked in.

"M-mommy?"

"My baby boy!" Ruel struggled to be put down, and Junko obliged. Ruel ran to Candice and she hugged him, crying.

"My boy, my sweet baby boy... I'm so glad you're safe." Candice stood up.

_"Cease fire!" _She called, and all the Merbs stopped as if they were frozen in time.

"Mommy?"

"It's all over now, honey. Ruel, what happened?"

"That bad man, Dark Ace, made me his servant and told me bad things and when I was bad he would hit me. Then he showed up," Ruel pointed to Stork, "And we busted out! Aerrow and his friends helped us!"

Candice stood in front of Aerrow, her head hung. "I'm so sorry I attacked you. I'm sorry for this assault. I just wanted my baby boy back."

"I know, and all is forgiven. Call off the mind control, and go back to living a peaceful existence. Cyclonia won't bother you anymore."

"Thank you so much, but... I can't continue living here. It's not my home, anymore."

"Where will you go?" Stork asked, stepping up to the front.

"She can stay with us. We have plenty of room on the Condor, and it's not like anyone will mind, right?" Piper asked.

"That would be perfect. Aerrow?" Candice said.

"It's fine by me. Welcome to the Storm Hawks, Candice and Ruel."

"I can be a Storm Hawk, mommy? I can really be a Storm Hawk?"

"If Aerrow says so, Ruel."

"I do say so. We'd love to have you and Ruel as Storm Hawks. Welcome to the team." Aerrow stuck out his hand, and she took it. The deal was sealed. Candice stuck up a hand and the Merbs all shuffled out. The mind control would wear off as soon as they were settled in their homes. None of them would remember. She looked down at Ruel.

"Honey, it's time you knew who your daddy was."

"You said Daddy was a human."

"Yes. A bad man. I didn't love him at all."

"Why did you have me, and Jussell then?"

"To be honest, I didn't want to. But you were born and then you were my babies, and I love you so much. You know who your daddy was?"

"I have an idea. It was that mean Dark Ace, wasn't it? I know because Dark Ace was meaner to me than the others. Like there was something he knew that I didn't."

"Yes. And he's still out there, so I always want you by my side. I don't want you to go out alone. He could be out there waiting."

"Okay, mommy."

And with that, Candice and Ruel followed Aerrow and the others back to the Condor, for a new life, in their new home.

Meanwhile, down underground...

"THAT LOUSY BRAT! What do you MEAN he got away?!" Dark Ace fumed, throwing something heavy at Snipe, who had come in beaten and battered to deliver his report.

"I'm sorry, boss! I- I didn't mean to--!"

"I'll have none of your pathetic excuses, Snipe! Get out there and FIND THEM! Bring that little bastard back here! He'll rot in the pits of Hell for this!" Dark Ace let out an inhuman scream of frustration and pain.

"Y-Yes boss! Whatever you say!" Snipe ran out, not wanting the back end of Dark Ace's wrath.

"You little bastard... You'll regret ever being born when I'm through with you..." He muttered to himself, clutching his sword tightly.

NOT THE END, Just the End Of Chapter. Still more to come!


	9. Broken

Note: Ohhhhh man, it's gonna get good from here. And that last chapter ended on a final note, I'm sure, but no. There's still more to come. Yes.

As you can probably tell, I think Snipe is just the _stupidest _man. He really is.

I don't own Storm Hawks, just Candice and Ruel.

Chapter Nine: Broken

It had been six years since Snipe was given orders to eradicate Ruel. Six years that the stupid man spent searching. Snipe wasn't smart, but he always got the job done, no matter the cost. So far, he'd tried everything from full-frontal assaults on the Condor to going door-to-door with flyers that read "Have you seen this child?" in bright red lettering, with no results. Ruel continued to live and elude him. Dark Ace was not amused.

The child was fourteen now, and sadly had begun to look more like his father, Dark Ace, than ever before. His ebony hair grew into the same swooping spiked shape. His eyes took on the same crimson irises. He was the same height; the same build. Even his voice was similar (but lacked the accent and was a slightly nasally pitch). If not for his green skin and pointed ears, it would be nearly impossible to tell the difference between them. He'd also begun referring to Stork as a surrogate father ("Dad!") in place of Dark Ace, and Stork accepted this. He understood that this boy would grow up without a proper paternal figure otherwise, which of course led to a life of debauchery and crime. He didn't want that to happen. So he learned to respond when Ruel called him "Dad". This was one of those times.

"Hey Dad, when can I fly the Condor?"

"When Sky Sharks fly out of my ass." Stork responded monotonously, as if he'd rehearsed. Ruel tended to ask to fly the ship a lot. Silly boy.

"Aw, come on! I'm almost old enough. I know how!"

"No." Stork said bluntly. "I'm not letting a fourteen year old get me killed. I've lived through way too much to die so pathetically."

"I won't crash it!"

"Bullshit. I've seen what you did to Finn's skimmer. You're not getting near these controls."

"It was Junko's fault!"

Junko gave him a look and a "hey!"

"But Daaaaaaad!" Ruel pouted, making him look like an overgrown child. He stuck his hands in his pockets and stalked away, probably to go play some practical joke on Radarr.

Candice came walking in, and noticed Ruel walking out.

"He ask for the Condor again?"

"Every Wednesday."

"Today is Friday."

"Oh, well, he's a bit slow this week, isn't he?" Stork replied jokingly. Suddenly the entire Condor was rocked by an explosion. Piper came screeching in.

"Snipe's out there with at least six battalions of Talons! He's heading for a full frontal attack!"

"Again?" Stork asked. "Which way?"

"About half a mile off the starboard bow!" Stork looked in that direction and true, Snipe led an army-and-a-half towards them. Aerrow came tearing in, with a pudding-covered Radarr on his shoulder. Ruel took up the rear, snickering to himself.

"Storm Hawks, battle stations!" Aerrow cried, pointing in Snipe's general direction. Stork yanked the wheel to face the battalions.

"Jesus, that's a lot of Talons." He commented.

"Junko, Finn, and Ruel, you three are with me. Piper and Candice, I need you on the blasters. Stork, you keep driving. Just... try not to die."

"Oh, I feel safe." Stork replied sarcastically. Piper nodded at Aerrow and ran towards the blaster on the left. Candice ran to the one on the right, and they began aiming. Junko, Finn, and Ruel ran after Aerrow into the hangar bay.

The battle was fierce. Ruel managed to hold his own for a good long while, until Snipe managed to slice his skimmer in half. "Aw man." Ruel got out before dropping like a rock, landing hard, crotch first on Finn's skimmer.

"Yelp!" Ruel squeaked. Finn laughed.

"Better you than me, dude!" He joked, getting an icy red glare in return. Ruel positioned himself and pulled Finn's crossbow from the back of his pants.

"Whoa, hey! Watch the hands back there!" Finn said.

"Sorry." Ruel aimed high over Finn's shoulder and shot the arrow off, striking Snipe's skimmer. It sputtered and stopped, leaving him dead in the air.

Ruel dropped the bow on the seat and jumped out, and almost caught onto Snipe's skimmer to punch him when a blast echoed from the Condor behind him.

"Dad!" Ruel turned around, his parachute activating.

Stork felt the explosion and tried desperately to keep the Condor steady, but the control panel was shot.

"Damn it!" He called back over his shoulder to Piper and Candice at the blasters. "We got no steering! This is gonna be rough! Keep firing!"

Snipe jumped out of his dead skimmer to catch Ruel. He activated his parachute so he wouldn't plummet to his death.

"I finally found you, you little half-breed toad!" He said.

"Get off of me!" Ruel struggled, kicked, and scratched at Snipe, even managing to pierce one of Snipe's eyes with his fingernails (which were kept long and sharp, much to his mother's chagrin), blinding that eye permanently and causing a squirt of blood and eye jelly to blow outwards.

"ARGH!" Snipe let go of Ruel, leaving him floating. Snipe brought his hands to his face in pain, giving an unholy roar of "I'M BLIND!"

Finn swooped in and rescued Ruel before Snipe remembered that he still had another eye to work with. Ruel wiped the blood off his nose and mouth and nodded.

Soon Snipe called a retreat and the remaining Talons limped away in their skimmers.

Stork still didn't have control, and the Condor was falling fast. He pulled and yanked on the wheel but no response. The others got into the control room and immediately got to work fixing the problem before they all became just another bloodstain on a Terra wall.

Stork had no choice. " Oh, I so don't want to do this... Ruel!" he called.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Get over here! Take the controls while I work on the wiring!"

"But you said--"

"Forget what I said and listen to what I'm saying now! Take the damn controls! I have to fix the wiring! Try to steer away from anything that looks painful!"

Ruel half- fanboy-squealingly, half- seriously took the controls and yanked back hard, trying to level out the ship while Stork ducked down below his knees and began tearing out wires and re-hooking them in different places. Finally he got a spark and Ruel pulled back on the wheel again, and this time the Condor leveled out and narrowly missed a stalactite that would have torn the ship in twain.

Stork stood up, which caused Ruel to rise with him and end up sitting on his shoulders.

"Whoa- oh!" Ruel exclaimed, swinging his hands down and holding onto Stork's hair for balance.

"Good job driving, Ruel!"

"Um, thanks Dad, but could you put me down? You know I'm not the biggest fan of heights." Stork put Ruel back down on the floor. Ruel let out an involuntary shiver of relief. Aerrow laughed.

"So, Ruel, was it you that poked out Snipe's eye?" Aerrow asked.

"Yep! His depth perception is gonna be all off. He couldn't hit a barn door now!"

"When he does figure it out, he's gonna be real pissed, dude." Finn interjected.

"Snipe's way too stupid." Ruel spat, giving Finn an icy glare that withered him and caused him to back up behind Aerrow. Candice came forward.

"Finn's right, Ruel. When Snipe comes back he'll be out for blood."

Ruel broke down in a fit of tears and rage.

"Then let him take it! Isn't that what you want?" He snapped.

"What are you talking about, Ruel?"

"I've seen the way you look at me when you think I don't notice. You hate me. You look at me and all you see is Dark Ace. I know that there's nothing you'd want more than to see me gone, just like Jussell. You say you love me, but when I look in your eyes all I see is despair and hate. So when Snipe comes back, just let me go. Isn't that what you want, Mom?"

"Of course not! I--"

"Save your breath!" Ruel snapped hotly, walking out. Candice looked at Stork desperately.

"I don't hate my son. I don't!"

Stork merely nodded. "Sometimes your eyes say things about you that your voice won't say. You might not hate your son, but you can't deny how much you remember who his father is every time you lay eyes on him."

"But I love my son so much."

"I know, as do we all. But Ruel is a teenager and I guess he's just a bottled-up mess of hormones and emotions right now."

"Go talk to him." Stork responded before turning his back to take the wheel.

Candice ran out, and eventually found Ruel standing on the very roof of the Condor, overlooking the cloud cover below.

"Honey?"

"Don't call me that. Leave me alone."

"Honey, Stork just taught me something very special that I think I need to share with you."

"Think again." He asked coldly. Candice ignored him.

"He told me that although I know full well how much I love you, I can't deny that you do look just like your father."

"Dark Ace may have been my biological father but he's not my father now. Stork is. He takes care of me like a father should. Dark Ace isn't my father."

"Please, honey. Let me finish. I guess when I look at you I _do _see Dark Ace in you, but only on the outside. You're nothing like him. You're cheerful, and kind, and loving. Dark Ace is cruel, and angry, and sadistic."

"Look at my face, Mom." Ruel flipped around to look at his mother. "Listen to my voice. I _am _Dark Ace. I look like him. I sound like him. God dammit, I fight like him. I breathe the same air, speak the same language. Mom, I couldn't be any more like him."

"But you couldn't be any less, either. You're two different people. And anyway, you don't look _exactly _like him."

"Yeah. My skin is green. All Dark Ace needs to do is go out as Frankenstein for Halloween and there you go."

"Stop talking like that. I will always be able to tell you apart."

"Just leave me alone, Mom. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be anywhere anymore if it means that all my friends and family are going to get hurt because of me." Ruel turned his back once again.

"But no one is hurt."

"It's only a matter of time. Did you not see the size of that army back there? Mom we could have all been killed. And it would have all been my fault."

"Please, stop! Stop talking like this, Ruel, you're scaring me!" Candice embraced Ruel from behind, holding him and shaking as she cried. Ruel didn't seem to notice. In fact, he pushed her off.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I can't let you or anyone else get hurt because of me anymore. This is for the best." Ruel stepped up, close to the edge of the Condor.

"Ruel, get down from there!"

Even as the whole Condor came to a shuddering stop, Ruel stood there on the edge. He put one foot over the edge...

Suddenly a dark green form tackled Ruel from the side, to the ground.

"Oh, no you don't!" Stork cried as he restrained Ruel, who was now screaming and shouting, struggling to be let go. He clawed at Stork's eyes like he had Snipe's, only Stork thought ahead and had a pair of high-density goggles on.

"Ruel, what do you think you're doing?!" He cried, straddling the boy and pinning him to the floor.

"I'm doing what should have been done a long time ago! Don't you see? This is the best for all of you!"

"But is it the best for _you?!_" Stork replied, shaking Ruel so he bopped his head off the floor once.

"Fuck me! I'm not important!" Ruel swore loudly, still struggling.

_"If you weren't important, would they be trying to kill you?!" _Stork asked desperately, tightening his grip on Ruel's shoulders.

"I...I..." Ruel stammered.

"Exactly!" Stork let Ruel get up. Ruel stammered and then, finally, broke down in tears, falling to his knees. Stork knelt down and held him, patting him on the back.

"I'm sorry, Dad, I'm so sorry."

"I know, Ruel. Come on back inside." But Ruel didn't.

"No, I'm sorry I have to do this!" Ruel broke free of Stork's grip and ran to the edge of the Condor before jumping straight off.

"_RUEL!!!!" _Stork and Candice shouted in unison.

But all was well. Piper came flying out from the hangar bay on her Heliscooter, catching Ruel as he plummeted.

"No, Piper! Let me go! I wanted to fall!" Piper would hear none of it and flew up to Stork and Candice to show them Ruel was alright. Piper had a tight hold on Ruel's belt, not letting the teen go anywhere.

Later, Aerrow had to literally strap Ruel down to the sofa to stop him from trying to jump off again.

"What is your problem? Don't you see I'm dangerous? Let me go so I can fall! I don't want to hurt you!" Ruel was practically frothing at the mouth trying to escape.

"Losing you would be the worst pain we could ever endure." Aerrow said simply. "It doesn't matter to us whether or not you look like Dark Ace, or if we get attacked by him and Snipe every single day for the rest of eternity. We're the Storm Hawks, and we leave no man, or Merb, or combination thereof, behind." Aerrow finished. Ruel ceased his struggling.

"But I understand your paranoia, Ruel. You're afraid that if we get killed, you'll have to live with the crushing guilt."

"I don't want to see anyone hurt anymore."

"Losing you would be the worst pain we could ever endure." Aerrow repeated.

"Really?"

"We all love you. We're your family now." Aerrow released the straps holding Ruel down. "So let Uncle Aerrow here help you out." Aerrow grinned.

"Okay..." Ruel said.

"You promise not to try to commit suicide again?"

"I promise, as long as you promise me something."

"Name it."

"Even when I say I'm fine, always keep nagging me to tell you my problems. Otherwise they'll just build up and make me do something this stupid once again."

"I promise." Aerrow put his hand on Ruel's shoulder, only to get tackled in a hug in return. Aerrow returned the hug, ready to help a troubled teen with any problem. He let go. "Now come on. I think your mom and dad want to talk to you." Aerrow said.

End Chapter

NO I AM NOT DONE YET.


	10. Forsaken

Note: Chapter Eleven will focus primarily on Dark Ace and his increasing insanity. 'Cause everybody loves a sexy crazy bad guy. Chapter Ten here is another "Day-Aboard-The-Condor" chapters.

I don't own Storm Hawks, but if I did, there would be more chocolate. Slightly minty. Yes. An endless pool of gooey chocolate!

I thought I'd commemorate this chapter with a little something from Macbeth.

"Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then it heard no more. It is a tale told by an Idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Chapter Ten: Forsaken

Stork was letting Ruel fly the ship while he talked to Candice in the kitchen.

"I think there's something else wrong with him. Not just, you know, obvious, he-just-tried-to-kill-himself stuff." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since he started calling me 'dad', he's been down. You think he's feeling guilty?"

"Not on your life. He hates Dark Ace so much."

"But he's still his father."

"He'll never be family."

"Technically, he is."

"Don't you fucking _dare _get technical. Dark Ace is his father by DNA, but he'll never be real family. I'm his mother." Candice said coldly, her eyes taking on a golden steely look to them.

Stork fell silent. "I know. I'm sorry, Candice. He's like a son to me, too, you know. I just want him to be happy."

Stork fished out a couple of sand cakes from the jar and handed one to Candice.

"I know you just want him to be happy, Stork. And I do too."

"I just wish I knew how to help him. Right now Aerrow is acting as the team shrink for the kid, and I'm supposed to be his dad, right? Aren't I supposed to help him out with these problems?"

"I'm his mother, it's even more my duty."

"Damn, now _I _feel guilty." Stork said, swallowing his snack and then poking his head back into the control room to see Ruel happily piloting the Condor, humming to himself to the music playing through the speakers.

"Well, at least he seems more cheerful." Candice said, smiling.

"Either that or he's finally snapped and he's a complete basket case."

"Would you try to be optimistic, for once in your life, Stork?"

"Nope." Stork replied. "I'm just too paranoid." He walked into the control room.

"Hey, kiddo!" Ruel was shocked by the sudden voice next to his head and screamed rather girlishly, jerking on the wheel and causing the entire Condor to dip to the left before leveling back out.

"Dad, don't _do _that! God, I swear, I think my heart just skipped a few beats."

"Sorry. Although, startling you _was _my intention."

"I figured that out myself, Dad, but thanks." Ruel replied, giving Stork a glare that pierced daggers to the soul. Stork stared into the glare for a few seconds, before blurting out,

"Your eyes creep me out sometimes." Stork then walked away, leaving Ruel twitching at the controls.

"Mom!" He called childishly, "Dad's being weird!"

"Stork, quit weirding out my son!" Candice called back, leaving Stork rolling his eyes.

"It's not my fault!"

Aerrow began laughing.

"Dysfunctional Families 101: How to Emotionally Ruin Your Adopted Son. Listen close now, there'll be a quiz on this." Aerrow joked.

"Dad, how is it Aerrow can get inside my mind better than you can?"

Stork mumbled something under his breath. Radarr (who was nearby) caught the words "pants" and "chains" before he decided he really didn't need to hear the rest and scampered away, whimpering.

"Ruel, let me take back the controls. You've been at it all night, let yourself rest for a while." Stork said to Ruel, stepping up to the wheel and gently shoving the teen off.

"Aw, but Dad, I'm fine! Really! I'm just a little..." Ruel realized how tired he was and fell asleep slumped over the time pulse beacon.

"As if on cue." Candice said, pulling Ruel off the time beacon and laying him gently on the couch.

"Teenagers. They have no idea when it's time to quit." Stork said jokingly. He noticed a warning beacon going off.

"Uh-oh. Cyclonians. They don't seem to be led by Snipe this time, either. Their formations are too orderly."

"It's Ravess, then. She's so 'perfect', all the time." Aerrow complained.

"No, it's strange. It's too orderly to be Snipe, but not perfect enough to be Ravess. It's either Dark Ace or someone new." Aerrow said distantly, going over the charts and radar screens.

"Oh, I hope Ruel wakes up soon, 'cause with that many Talons we're gonna need all the help we can get." Junko whined.

"Don't get your hopes up, Junko. This kid is _out._" Finn observed, prodding at Ruel's chest with a stick, getting a gurgly snore in return. "Yep, totally out."

Candice laughed. "You boys just don't know how to wake him up from a nap properly." She held a wooden spoon and a large pot, like one would cook chili in. She placed the pot over his head and banged on it a few times.

Ruel shot up, screaming like a girl. "_Whaaaah!" _He cried, falling on the floor. "Mom!"

"Talons at four o'clock, sweetie."

"Oh." Realization hit him. "OH!" He ran off, probably to Stork's "Stork-mobile".

"Ruel's got the right idea. Battle stations!" Aerrow called. Once again, Piper and Candice were left behind to man (or woman) the blasters, and Stork was the pilot.

"Wasn't Ruel's Skimmer cut in half in the last battle?" Stork asked idly.

"I'm taking the Stork Mobile!" Ruel called back, as if on cue.

"You break the Stork Mobile and I break your legs!" Stork threatened, turning the ship's wheel.

"No you won't." Candice said dryly.

"I know..." Stork replied pathetically. He yanked the Condor towards the battle to aim the blasters.

End Chapter

Well, this has gone on long enough. Next chapter will be through the Cyclonians' (read: Dark Ace) point of view.


End file.
